


Steady Me

by TheArchaeologist



Series: That Funny Thing Called Grief [1]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Angst, Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Spoilers, Drama, Family Angst, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, Infinity War spoilers, Loki and Strange and Quill get a mention, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Wakanda
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-29
Updated: 2018-04-29
Packaged: 2019-04-29 20:21:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14480469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheArchaeologist/pseuds/TheArchaeologist
Summary: Among the crowd as they hug their loved ones, rejoicing the return of all those who were scattered as dust, Thor is alone.





	Steady Me

As everyone begins to stumble back towards Wakanda, arms wrapped tightly around reclaimed loved ones and tears running down scraped and bleeding faces, Thor cannot help but stand alone, his eyes on the rising sun. 

The rays of early morning are warm on his face, filling his chest with light as people recount their victory around him. Comrades pat one another, eager to confirm that the other will not fall to dust. Parents reach for their reborn children, and teenagers lunge for lost guardians, unashamed and sobbing. 

Across the field, down by the river, Thor spots a girl barely older than adolescence all but fly at an alley Thor has yet to gain the name of, a woman in red holding a spear stood tall behind him, grinning from ear to ear and easily drawn into a three-way hug. 

The man is too young to be her parent, so siblings, then. 

Thor turns his gaze back to the dawning landscape, watching the shadows stretch as if rising from slumber from behind the scattered trees. A flock of birds, long necked and large billed, noisily squawk as they move across the amber horizon. 

“Thor?” A voice says softly behind him. Thor takes a moment to tear his eyes away from the view.

“Hmm?” Is all he gives in reply, but his eyes (both biological and technological) widen as Stark appears next to him.  
“Stark.” Thor’s voice feels rough to his own ears, and he reaches to clasp Tony’s shoulder. “How did-”

Stark waves him off. “Long story. Wizards are a thing, apparently. And Star Lords.”

“You met the Star Lord?”

“Yeah. Bit of a dick, but he gave us a lift home, so…” Tony shrugs. “Strange was able to warpgate us from their ship, so here we are.”

In the distance behind Stark, Thor catches a glimpse of Doctor Strange’s cape floating amongst the moving crowd without its owner. 

“Well, it is good to see you.” Thor tightens his grip on Tony’s shoulder, loosening slightly when the man winces. “Are you well?”

“Big question, Point Break.” Tony sighs, but then shakes his head and fixes Thor with a sharp look. “From what Strange and Quill have said, you’ve had it pretty rough.”

Something in Thor’s expression wavers, but he schools it as best he can. “It has been a trying time on all of us, I believe.”

“Ow, ow, Thor, shoulder!” 

“Apologies.” Thor quickly drops his hand, swallowing thickly and looking out at the rising sun once more. 

From the corner of his eye he sees Tony glance between him, the sunrise, and back again.

“The…The thing _is_ , Thor, is that we had to get back to Earth a certain way.” 

Thor does not turn back towards his comrade to answer. “I see?”

“We, uh…We found the wreckage…”

Realisation hits him, and Thor bites his tongue as something hard and venomous strikes him in the chest. He manages to stay on his feet, but is not clueless to the slight sway of his body.

“Oh.” Is all he can think of saying in reply. 

Tony’s hand is on his back. “Thor, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s ok.” His voice is thick, and it's really _not_ , but Loki was the one who was skilled with words, not him. Loki was the brain, Thor was the brawn. That had been their dynamic since they could walk, running terror around the halls of Asgard, getting under everyone’s feet.

“Thor…”

“It’s ok.” The sunrise blurs, a swirl of red and yellow and orange. “It’s ok.”

They stand, watching the new day emerge, Tony’s hand never leaving Thor’s back.

**Author's Note:**

> I have 101 things I need to be doing and instead I write tearful Thor because DAMN Infinity War broke me.


End file.
